Certain storage devices are used on computer systems in order to provide persistent memory for the functioning of the computer system. For example, a magnetic hard disk drive assembly is well known in the art. However, such persistent memory has some drawbacks. It is time consuming to prepare the magnetic hard drive for reading or writing data. In order to do so, in most cases, it is necessary to physically initiate spinning of the disk, and to position a read/write head over the proper location.
The preparation for reading or writing from the storage devices is time- and power-consuming. Additionally, noise may be generated by such a magnetic hard drive memory and its components. Thus, there is a need for an improved memory for computer systems which will remedy some of these drawbacks.
New compositions and configurations of persistent storage devices may provide some improvements in performance related to the storage. However, simply using traditional techniques for accessing persistent storage will not provide the full benefit of such new compositions or configurations. Generally, an operating system is used to control the operations of the computer system. The operating system also mediates between other applications in the computer system and the hard disk. Thus, there is a need for methods such as application programming interfaces (APIs) to provide enhanced performance. Similarly, there is a need for systems which create new configurations and new control techniques for storage for use by a computer systems.